I’m currently in the middle of an Access to Higher Education course run by the University of Kent and am studying this at the Brompton Academy in Gillingham and The Medway Campus of Kent University in the old Royal Naval Barrack at Chatham.

I consider it a privilege to be taught by the Universities superb lecturers of diverse subjects, who give up time in their already busy lives, to teach students of all ages who missed out on higher education or wish to refresh their academic abilities.

One is never too old or too young to learn, not only from the tutors, but also from the other students. It is delightful to mix with people from different generations and cultural backgrounds. To listen to their questions and answers and many points of view.

In English Literature there are no right or wrong answers. As students we are asked to consider the era in which the chosen book, play or poem was originally written. The time and the history of the various authors shaped what they wrote about and the language they used to write it. So we are learning about social history and cultural influences alongside the literary styles and work of our great classic authors.

I hope this second chance at learning in an academic setting, mixing with such a diverse group of friends who share my passion for literature, will grow with my own lifetime experiences and help me to become better acquainted with great literature of the past and a better writer and author myself in the future.